Rates brochure is all gloss
Who else noticed the irony in the “Understand your Rates” brochure we all received with our 2025-6 rates notice? In this brochure our Mayor, Anthony Marsh was quoted “We’re proud to deliver a financially responsible and community- focused budget…” The brochure was printed on glossy (unrecycled) paper in various colours, with artwork and nifty design. What did this cost?
Rather than shiny appearances, I would have been more impressed if it had been printed in black and white on recycled paper without artwork; and the money spent on something worthy.
As it is, it rather comes across as a shire ad. I understand we have the option of email, but still.
Paula Polson, Dromana
Brethren questions
The recent investigation by the public broadcaster into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has raised troubling questions about political influence and transparency that resonate deeply here in Flinders.
Allegations came to light of covert campaigning by Brethren members, despite the church’s historical stance against voting. More significantly for Flinders residents, it has been confirmed that our former member Greg Hunt now works for three companies linked to senior Brethren members, highlighting deep connections between the church and Liberal politicians.
This raises questions about our current Liberal member Zoe McKenzie. During the recent election, I witnessed women who appeared to be from the Brethren handing out how-to-vote cards for McKenzie at the Mt Martha pre-poll booth located at the Salvation Army Mission. Given the Brethren’s traditional avoidance of other religious organisations, their presence there was particularly striking.
Serious concerns have been raised about the church’s vast business network and political connections. When a religious organisation with such significant resources becomes actively involved in campaigning, questions about transparency become even more pressing.
The investigation also revealed allegations about confidential voter information being shared with the church. This amplifies my concerns about electoral data handling. Voter information is confidential, and the public must have confidence that personal data isn’t being shared with third-party campaigners, whether intentionally or otherwise.
That’s why I’m calling on McKenzie to provide clear reassurance to the people of Flinders: Were any Brethren members or other volunteers given access to electoral data, lists or campaign materials that included personal voter information?
Democracy relies not just on free elections, but on public trust in the process. After recent revelations, that trust requires transparent answers about how our data is protected.
Kim Robbins, Safety Beach
Asphalt overlay
After a long time making representation to the council asking that something be done to the deplorable unsafe striped seal surface on Uralla and Bay Roads. Finally these roads were closed to all traffic for a day on Wednesday the 17th of September.
Much to my and others delight, a wonderful new asphalt overlay has been placed over the existing rough stripped road surface leaving a very smooth surface well done Fulton Hogan. Some 350 metres west in Uralla Rd from Nepean Hwy a large high pressure water main crosses Uralla Rd servicing the Balcombe estate. At this position a deep depression formed some 18 months ago, after notifying the shire, at least 3-4 attempts were made to level the surface, the surface finally was brought to a reasonable level by the current contractor, quite tolerable to drive over.
At this site some four to six months ago a wet patch appeared on the grass shoulder. Some weeks ago a Blue stake was placed there indicating the presence of water percolating out of the ground, with no sign of any action to investigate the water source.
The water main is, I believe the property of South West Water, we now have a beautiful road surface, I question, is the water authority going to investigate the water leak now and destroy the new surface by excavating and exposing the water main. In the past and it is evident on all the roads in the shire, that not one excavated road surface after backfilling was ever reinstated, compacted and made good to the original condition. No supervision. No one cares!
Gerard van de Ven, Mount Martha
Incorrect history
Albert Riley (Sullivan’s Bay settlement, Letters 17/9/25) illustrates why it is important that local history/’truth-telling’ be pursued rigorously. I recommend the Yoorrook Commission’s “Truth Be Told” to readers.
The officers, settlers and convicts under Lt Collins were violent to the people whose land they coveted, but they were not the worst. This title belongs to the sealers and whalers who set up bases on the islands in the Bass Strait. From the early 1800s to the mid-1830’s, they kidnapped, raped and killed Bunurong / Boon Wurrung on the coasts of both Port Phillip Bay and Western Port.
Riley dismisses the First People as “Stone Age”. It should be pointed out that they managed to sustain very healthy lifestyles for thousands of people each generation over millennia on land that the British could only last on from October 1803 to May 1804 at Sorrento and from December 1826 to March 1828 at Corinella.
But more saddening than inaccurate history, is Riley’s inference that Treaty will divide Victoria and give special privileges to First Nations people. First Nations people lived here first (some evidence indicates for more than 60,000 years). They have a different culture and value system. Almost all countries have a Treaty with their indigenous people. They deserve self-determination after 200 plus years of government policies that have done them immeasurable harm.
First People are so generous (even after Europeans stole their Country, wages and even their children and some continue to revile and insult them at every turn) that they remain open to sharing their culture and knowledge with all Victorians. Think about their excellence in art, music and dancing. Think about their caring for Country e.g. fire and water management, sustainable aquaculture and farming. Truly there is nothing to lose and a lot to gain from a Treaty.
Joan Doyle, Dromana
Where are the birds?
We live in the Walkers Road Humphries Road area of Mt Eliza where there are an abundance of native bird life and sounds which are wonderful to experience. But suddenly this has all disappeared in just a week or so. There are no birds to be seen and no bird calls to hear, particularly magpies and kookaburras.
Can any of your readers or Mornington Peninsula Shire staff who are native bird experts provide any explanation as to why this “bird walk out” has just occurred? The place is unnaturally deserted and silent without them.
Arthur Ranken, Mt Eliza
Net zero
The Liberal and National Party Coalition’s shambolic in-fighting over their non-existent energy policy and 2050 Net Zero position is beyond farcical. It is reminiscent of a Three Stooges skit replete with a feast of bum kicking, eye poking and endless yuck, yuck, yucking.
They are not serious people and thankfully they won’t be of much relevance at the federal level for the foreseeable future, except perhaps vicariously through conservative voting blocs in local councils as we see in the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
It has become clearer, following votes relating to climate action, arts funding and the homeless crisis on the peninsula that the six conservative councillor’s are anti-consultation and by extension anti-community.
It is hard to accept that six conservative councillors on the Mornington Peninsula believed that they know better than the 99% of the scientific community who call for urgent, policy driven climate action, when they took the decision to rescind the Climate Emergency declaration. What could possibly be their motivation?
It is jarring to visit the climateemergencydeclaration.org website and to see among the 2366 political jurisdictions, across 40 countries, and representing over one billion people that the entry relating to the Mornington Peninsula Shire now has a strike-through the 2019 declaration and a notation that it was revoked in 2025.
So it is heartening to see the emergence of a coalition of a dozen like-minded community groups who joined together to form the Peninsula Climate Alliance to lobby the council on the importance of us doing our fair share.
Soon enough, there will come a time to vote in a new local council and a new state government is to be elected next November. It would be foolish for those seeking election to continue to ignore the community on issues of such critical importance.
Luke O’Brien, Rye
Funding disaster resilience
The Mornington Peninsula Shire’s endorsement of its “Community Disaster Resilience Plan” (Community input sought on ‘Disaster Resilience Plan’, The News 17/9/25) coincided with the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment and the ANU Disaster Solutions Update 2025. While some, including the Coalition, dismiss such reports as “alarmist” and even call for scrapping the internationally agreed net zero by 2050 target, a strong majority of Australians recognise the threat and want action.
Practical preparation like the energy backup systems at community centres in Red Hill, Flinders and Balnarring show how to build resilience in fire-prone areas. Artificial reefs like the Dell Eco and Ramblers Reefs in Geelong demonstrate how coastal erosion can be reduced. But adaptation costs money.
The federal government’s $1b Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) is a good start: 185 projects were funded in 2023-24 and 171 in 2024-25. In the second round, Mornington Peninsula Shire shared in over $7m for flood-resilient infrastructure, transition/retreat policy for property and assets impacted by coastal hazards and sea level rise, and Mt Martha landslip works.
Clearly, it’s time to not only strengthen climate action and disaster resilience, but also to put a price on carbon. Sweden’s levy shows how revenue can fund adaptation, support the national budget and even cut personal income tax. It can work here too.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Challenging change
I had to laugh at the statistical graph presented with Greg Holland’s letter last week (A call to action, Letters 16/9/25). The graph purports to show the increasing number of warmest days since 1910, I think, but it doesn’t say where: Australia, the world, or what?
The graph could also show that temperature sensing devices, recorders, techniques are much more accurate and numerous now than in 1910. A misleading and complicated way to legitimise his theory.
The graph does not actually prove that the planet is warming, just that we’ve had a lot of hot days.
Please, where is the other information for colder winter days? About a decade ago I recall most of Europe being gripped by a really terrible big freeze for a long time during winter.
Holland concludes that we’ve had lots of heatwave days caused by human activity. Probably the planet is warming as it goes through yet another cycle of warming and cooling.
I’ve seen geological evidence and written historical records of warming and cooling in recent history, proving, if you like, that carbon dioxide and humanity have no influence on planetary temperature. This is a very big planet with very big and deep oceans, close to its star, and 50 or so kilometres under your feet is a huge planet of boiling, seething, molten rock. There are incomprehensible forces at work.
Tell me again about the rare gas CO2 causing a planet to warm up. Show me another graph.
If council reacted to every request or demand for action or grants for every crackpot, do-gooder, zealous fanatic of some cause, even an elected councillor with a fantasy, there would be no ratepayers money left to fill potholes.
Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Hamas support outrageous
I feel compelled to respond to the deluded supporters of Hamas, Lenzo and Leeuwen (Engage with Hamas, Letters 9/9/25). Their narrative relating to appeasement with the outrageous barbarous Islamic group known as Hamas is entirely without merit.
The statement that “the Palestinian genocide by Israel cannot be denied” is without foundation. The Palestinian population has doubled since 2006. How can there be genocide when the population is increasing?
Any sensible person would agree that the carnage must stop. However, the solution is not negotiation with the group intent on their opposition’s elimination. There is no political solution with these people; they must be defeated and the outrageous retention of hostages overcome.
It defies logic to submit the IDF purposefully kills doctors and patients when Hamas has established military infrastructure under hospitals, schools and kindergartens, using the population as human shields. If the IDF was determined to kill the citizens of Gaza, why does it expend resources and strategic advantage by informing all (presumably including Hamas) in advance of military actions?
Every reputable military expert has stated that the IDF is the most ethical army in history. If any of the people are starving or maimed, the fault lies at Hamas’ feet with their appropriates of huge quantities of provisions.
Hamas advocates a single state, the elimination of Israel, and the murder of its citizens (two million of whom are Arab Israelis). If anybody doubts their motivations, which Leeuwen erroneously asserts is a resistance movement seeking democratic organisation, listen to the son of Hamas’ founder, Mosab Hassan Yousef, addressing the European Parliament or his interview with Douglas Murray.
Leeuwen’s conclusion that we should “engage with” Hamas as we have with other countries with tainted humanitarian record indicates not only a remarkable naive approach but amounts to rewarding terrorists for their actions.
Simon Feingold, Merricks
Enough bias
Enough is enough, it is high time the apologists for the Israeli genocide in Gaza face up to the fact, most of the world’s human rights and forums of decency have called out Israel’s behaviour in Gaza as genocide and a crime against humanity.
Wouldn’t it be a lot more genuine if these apologists would direct their outrage at the Israeli government? In Israel itself there are daily demonstrations against the behavior of its armed forces and government in regards to the Gaza genocide.
The indefensible actions of Israel in Gaza can not be excused by pointing fingers at the other.
Rupert Steiner, Balnarring Beach
Life is for living
What do you do with your life, Joe Lenzo? Does it not cost what you pay rates and taxes for? Do you think our libraries, sports grounds, footpaths, beaches, galleries, parks run at a profit? NO!! With our rates and taxes we are paying people to maintain these places for our pleasure.
I am in my eighties. I visit the library, walk around our streets, play 45 holes of golf at Mt Martha golf course every week, meet and enjoy the company of other golfers, drive on roads, swim at our beaches, and try to keep fit so that I’m no cost to the community healthwise, and enjoy my old age. I see young people at the weekend enjoying our sports facilities or our art gallery.
Joe, not everything has to run at a profit. I suggest you get outside and see what is positive about our community.
Wendy Doyle, Mornington
Migration
For the 2024–25 program year, the government has set the cap at 185,000 permanent places. The rest listed in Net Overseas Migration (NOM) are just visitors contributing billions to the economy and the jobs to go with it. This equates to 507 a day not 1500 a day that the QAnon immigration alarmist racists are on about.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Barley-Charlie@89
I was about eight when I knew my father; overseas WW2. Then hardly a word, another two years. Recalling 1948, at the dinner table, which we called tea, and said “You should chew your food 28 times before swallowing.” Which I (we) regarded as hilarious, but not/never to his face, pretending, maybe six times? Talk about biting my bum; now at 89, offsetting a painful heartburn, the necessity to chew away, closer to 22 than 28, but still.|
On reflection he was likely referring to his tinned army bully beef in New Guinea. No Zantac?
The threat of Freedom of Speech, not really but mostly. Again Donald Trump, the second coming, Christ, alongside echoes of 1984. I’m thinking Doctor Who and the Dalek; Exterminate?…
“And so we say farewell…” by James A Fitzpatrick, travelogues, years past, and now, 2025, likewise to my Collingwood team.
Alas, cricket to follow, likely hibernation; blind hatred, fears, prejudices and bigotry filed, to the memory vault, March 2026, assuming still on deck.
Cliff Ellen, Rye
